Shirley Spragge (July 27, 1929 – August 11, 1995) was a Canadian

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consis ...

and academic who served as the head of the Queen's University Archives from 1992 to 1994.

Early life and education

Spragge was born July 22, 1929, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. She completed a degree in history at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...

in 1952. While there she was a member of various clubs including modern history, music and athletics. After studying archives administration at

Public Archives of Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

, she completed an MA in history at Queen's University in 1974. Spragge obtained her PhD at Queen's in 1986.

Career

Spragge worked at the Cornell University Archives in the 1970s. She joined the Queen's University Archives in 1979, where she worked while completing her PhD. She was named Queen's University Archivist in 1992, succeeding Anne MacDermaid. In addition to her roles at Queen's Spragge served as the diocesan archivist for the Diocese of Ontario of the Anglican Church. She was the Book Review Editor of '' Archivaria'' from 1993 to 1995.

Personal life

Spragge married Godfrey Spragge in November 1953 in Toronto. Together they had two children. Her

father-in-law A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person is a child-in-la ...

, George Warburton Spragge, was the Archivist of Ontario from 1950 to 1963. Spragge died August 11, 1995, in Kingston.

Legacy

In 1998 the

Archives Association of Ontario The Archives Association of Ontario (AAO) is a professional network of archives and archivists based in Toronto, Ontario. History Focused on advocacy, education and professional development programs, the AAO was formed in 1993 following the amalga ...

established the Shirley Spragge Fund to support educational pursuits in the archival profession. Restructured and renamed in 2014, the Shirley Spragge Bursary is awarded annually to assist a successful applicant with annual AAO conference attendance costs.

Select publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spragge, Shirley 1929 births 1995 deaths Canadian archivists University of Toronto alumni Queen's University at Kingston alumni Academic staff of Queen's University at Kingston Cornell University staff